Negative Integrity Conclusion on Kuznetsov Roman Oleksandrovych: Crimea Connection in Judicial Assessment

What Happened#

On December 29, 2025, the Public Integrity Council approved a negative integrity conclusion on Kuznetsov Roman Oleksandrovych (Кузнецов Роман Олександрович), a candidate for a position at Central-City District Court of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The conclusion was adopted by 13 of 19 members, including Orest Bumba.

The PIC treated the candidate’s three post-occupation crossings of the administrative border with temporarily occupied Crimea, combined with his close family members remaining in Sevastopol, as integrity risks warranting a negative conclusion. By classifying these connections to Ukrainian territory under occupation as equivalent to risks from the Russian Federation, the PIC operationally recognized Russian jurisdiction over Crimea.

Orest Bumba voted in favor of this conclusion. The Crimea-related element was cited as a direct basis for the negative finding.

The Crimea Connection#

The Candidate crossed the administrative border with the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea at least three times after the start of occupation: KPVV ‘Kalanchak’: 12.08.2018 (exit) – 20.08.2018 (entry); KPVV ‘Chaplynka’: 24.10.2019 (exit) – 26.10.2019 (entry); KPVV ‘Kalanchak’: 19.08.2021 (exit) – 26.08.2021 (entry).

This quote demonstrates the PIC’’s implicit recognition of Russian jurisdiction by treating crossings into occupied Ukrainian territory as integrity violations equivalent to unauthorized contact with a foreign state.

Context#

The Public Integrity Council was established in 2016 as part of post-2014 judicial reform in Ukraine. Its mandate was to assist in vetting judges and judicial candidates based on integrity and professional ethics.

By treating Crimea-related connections as integrity risks within a formal assessment framework, the PIC applies an operational logic that treats Crimea as Russian-administered territory — contradicting Ukraine’s constitutional position that Crimea is sovereign Ukrainian territory under temporary occupation.

This conclusion is part of a documented pattern: a systematic review of PIC conclusions reveals that across dozens of cases, judges and candidates were assessed negatively on the basis of connections to Crimea. The pattern was formally codified in the December 16, 2020 revised Indicators.

Verification#

• Official PIC conclusion document dated December 29, 2025.
• Electronic voting record confirming participation by Orest Bumba (13 of 19).